Why You Shouldn’t Bite into Your Phone Battery

History has taught us that even though Lithium-ion batteries are the most efficient battery for smartphones and other mobile devices, they can be a little dangerous when mistreated.

Phones and tablets are all powered by these rectangular pouch batteries. Inside the pouch are layers of electrode (anode and cathode) sheets with a liquid electrolyte spread throughout the layers. This electrolyte inside is extremely flammable and will explode if it is not kept pressurized.

Li-ions become unstable if they are charged higher than their specified maximum voltage. That’s what we think caused the battery explosions that plagued smartphone users in 2016 and this can happen from using the wrong size charger or keeping your phone plugged in for longer than it needs. When the battery becomes unstable, it will overheat and possibly explode.

Li-ion batteries can also combust though when the electrolyte inside is exposed to oxygen. This was most likely the case for the man in China. When he bit into the battery, he must have exposed the electrolytes to the oxygen in the air and it ignited. This can be demonstrated in this gif.

Luckily, nobody was hurt, but people have been severely burned by these incidents in the past and it’s definitely not something you should try at home. Keep your phone battery in your smartphone where it belongs and, refrain from biting unless you’re ready for a battery explosion.

AUTHOR

Mia Glatter

I am Mia of House UBIF. The first of the blog. The Guardian of the Grammar, the Comma Catcher, the Meticulous Modifier, the Edifying Editor and I swear to you that those who would misuse punctuation will be redacted.